Chula Vista Fire Chief Dave Hanneman said fire crews are trained to position their rigs to block oncoming traffic. “I know clearing the freeway is a priority for the CHP,” Hanneman said. “Our No. 1 priority is the safety of our firefighters and patients.”

| Feb 6 2014

A California Highway Patrol officer handcuffed and detained a Chula Vista firefighter for refusing to move his engine out of traffic at a crash scene Tuesday night, prompting a nationwide storm of online commentaries on Wednesday.

The firefighter had parked the engine behind an ambulance in the fast lane of Interstate 805 near East Naples Drive, where a sedan had flipped over a concrete guard rail and two people were reported injured. Chula Vista Fire Chief Dave Hanneman said fire crews are trained to position their rigs to block oncoming traffic. “I know clearing the freeway is a priority for the CHP,” Hanneman said. “Our No. 1 priority is the safety of our firefighters and patients.”